Newcastle Solicitors

Irwin Mitchell serious injury claim services

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:27:29 +0000

While no type of personal injury is trivial to the person who has suffered it, as the name suggests, serious injury claims relate to the worst types of injuries people can endure, such as those affecting areas like the spinal column or the head. This type of claim can cover a number of serious injuries, including those relating to amputations, fractured and broken bones, brain and other head injuries and injuries to the spinal column. Whichever of these injuries a person suffers, it can cause tremendous damage to their quality of life, affecting their ability to work and earn money, as well as their personal relationships. Furthermore, anyone in this position looking to pursue a rightful claim for compensation will need considerable help and support from specially trained legal professionals, in order to successfully accomplish this – the kind of support offered by a company such as Irwin Mitchell.

For example, when it comes to claims involving amputations, the client may well not only be left unable to work, or at least to work in the field they were in prior to the accident. In addition to this, they will also require rehabilitation and training in order to be able to adapt to their physical handicap, as well as requiring modifications to be made to their home in order to accommodate this. A company with specialist experience in personal injury claims of this kind, such as Irwin Mitchell, will help to secure the appropriate financial compensation to help the client adjust and will also look to secure short-term payments to cover the immediate costs of treatment and care that the client needs while the claim is being pursued. The company’s team of lawyers dealing with these cases are members of the Limbloss Legal Panel – giving them both the legal experience and also the sensitivity to be able to help clients who are attempting to secure recompense while still recovering emotionally from the impact of their injury.

If you want to know more about Irwin Mitchell’s offers in the area of serious injury claims, then visit the Irwin Mitchell newcastle page on www.irwinmitchell.com.

The cheque’s still in the post !

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:04:46 +0000

Many will be aware of the proposal to scrap cheques. As many businesses will attest, there is little more frustrating than the old excuse of “the cheque is in the post” and frankly, we believe that cheques are outdated and inefficient. however, they are used still, predominantly it seems by the over 65’s, and so for whatever reason, whether Equality Act, human rights or due to lobbying, the Payments Council have decided not to scrap cheques. A retrograde step we think, but what do you think ?

UK Public debt £2 trillion

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:56:26 +0000

Whatever you view on the controversial cuts to legal aid funding, whether on moral, legal or economic grounds, the figures for legal aid expenditure are dwarfed by the fact that economists are now suggesting the UK, in reality owes £2 trillion for public dents, the majority being the cost of public pensions. When figures reach the trillions, we find it hard to actually conceptualise this, what about you ?

Latest mortgage lending figures

admin — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:55:14 +0000

Mortgage lending rises in May (depending on which way you look at it)

It is difficult at the moment to get a clear picture of what’s happening in the residential housing market although most believe that it is still suffering inertia at best. On the one hand, mortgage rates are still very low, on the other, lenders are still not actively lending. Then there are the still highly uncertain economic conditions.

Figures from the Council of mortgage lenders do suggest that lending rose by 12% in May, but this couold simply be because April was a slow month, seasonal factors and an increase in remortgaging. We wouldn’t read too much into any figures at the moment. Just our view.

No-Shows – ECJ Rules No Vat Due

Matt Gibson — Tue, 24 May 2011 09:56:00 +0000

A recent decision of the European Court of Justice will come as good news for hard-pressed hoteliers and has led to HM Revenue and Customs issuing new guidance on deposits.

The decision confirms that there is no relationship between a deposit taken and the supply of a standard-rated service. Accordingly, therefore, where a deposit has been taken for a hotel booking and retained because the person making the booking is a ‘no-show’, there is no need to account for VAT on the deposit.

However, if the deposit is made for a specific room which is therefore kept vacant, the supply remains one on which VAT is due.

Hotel owners can reclaim VAT overpaid as a result for the past four years only. In addition, hoteliers will want to consider their terms and conditions to ensure they are VAT efficient.

Trade Mark – Whole, Not Parts of Whole, is What Matters

Matt Gibson — Mon, 23 May 2011 08:04:00 +0000

The High Court has confirmed that a trade mark refers to the general impression given by the mark, not to the details of the mark and this can include auditory and conceptual factors as well as purely visual ones.

The important issue is whether the average consumer would be misled bearing in mind that the mark is perceived as a whole, not by its individual parts.

Merely creating a mark that is subtly different from a trade mark may well be insufficient to prevent an action for violation of the trade mark or ‘passing off’ (deriving an economic benefit from it) if the overall impression is similar. For advice on all trade mark and other intellectual property matters, contact us.

Spying on employees

admin — Sun, 22 May 2011 11:42:19 +0000

Spying on staff

Competitor analysis, perhaps a nice term for some forms of competitor spying is far from uncommon, but monitoring of staff is not regularly reported although undoubtedly also occurs.

In an unusual case reported on this week, a highly successful entrepreneur, Elena Ambrosiadou, hedge fund owner of a £1.65 billion fund, Ikos asset management is alleged to have engaged extensive covert surveillance on staff.

The employee claiming that surveillance took place and alleged breach of contract in the High Court has obtained judgment in default of defence against Ms Ambrosiadou. As she has not filed a defence, the allegation remains strictly speaking untested but in legal terms, it is likely that spying on a member of staff to the extent alleged would be likely to be a breach of the employment relationship and possibly a fundamental breach of contract giving the employee the right to resign and claim unfair constructive dismissal.

First Company Convicted of Corporate Manslaughter Loses Appeal

Matt Gibson — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:12:00 +0000

Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings Ltd., which became the first company to be convicted of corporate manslaughter (under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007) in February of this year, has lost an appeal against its conviction.

The company was convicted following the 2008 death of geologist, Alexander Wright, 27, who died when a trench he was working in collapsed.

Cookie Law Not yet Clear

Matt Gibson — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:46:00 +0000

The ban on using cookies where ‘explicit consent’ is not given, due to be introduced on 25 May, is likely to be postponed until the autumn pending the development of a ‘browser based’ solution to the issue.

Owners of websites are advised to make sure they understand how their website uses cookies and to consult with their webmasters to ensure that when the regulations are in place, they are able to comply.

For further information see the Information Commissioner’s website.

More Businesses ‘Critical’

Matt Gibson — Mon, 16 May 2011 14:37:00 +0000

The number of businesses in the UK which are suffering from ‘significant’ or ‘critical’ financial problems on the first quarter of 2011 has risen to 186,000, according to a report by insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor. This is an increase of 26 per cent over the figure for the third quarter of 2010 and is 15 per cent more than the same quarter in 2010.

Another report shows a 4 per cent jump in the number of retail businesses at ‘high risk’ of insolvency and there has also been a 15 per cent increase in the number of retails using company voluntary arrangements compared with 2010.A report by accountants PwC also revealed an increase of more than 12 per cent in corporate insolvencies with retailing the worst-hit sector.

Things are tough in retailing and the building industry was recently identified as having had a particularly bad winter.

For advice on managing your trade risk, contact us.